I want to lose weight, but my community won't let me!
Here's how I figure. In the Black community, hips, ass, breasts and thick thighs represent the ideal woman. That's what Black guys want. They want a photo-shopped video vixen, the surgically enhanced video vixen. They want their women to be thick, but not fat! Please don't let her have love handles...or a chubby stomach...
No, they want that video-vixen...the chick on KING Magazine that has been photo-shopped...that's their ideal girl.
I've been bouncing around the idea of losing weight for the past couple of months. But every time I think about it, I tend to wince at the idea of losing my hips, thighs and newly acquired ass.
A couple of weeks ago, I was talking with my friend. She has been trying to lose wight, but she also stated that she didn't want to lose her butt and her hips.
I can't tell you how many times I've heard stories of a black girl trying to lose weight, but her family state: "You're black, you're supposed to be that size," or "Don't listen to that doctor. You're being compared to the white standard," or the most popular, "You're not fat, you're thick!"
Why do we as the Black community believe that it's okay to have an ass, thighs and hips at the expense of our health? Do we not know that our ass and hips and all that good stuff also comes with the love-handles and muffin-top? And the heart disease and diabetes? And, not to mention, the declining mental health and depression (because we don't work out).
No, I'm not saying that we should compare ourselves to White, Hispanic and Asian women. But we shouldn't try to continue the stereotyping of our bodies either because at the end of the day, that's what we're doing.Perpetuating the stereotype.
